Descendants 4
by IwriteWhenIwant
Summary: Since fans will never be able to experience Descendants 4 I decided to write about what I would have liked to see. Follow the gang in their adventures as they figure out what's next since the barrier has been removed.
1. Chapter 1

**Beginning the Next Step **

**THIRD PERSON PT. OF VIEW**

-Isle of the Lost-

As the 4 original VK's ran down the bridge towards the Isle, Mal couldn't help but think about all the changes she could see, thus sparking the trail of thought of all the things that still needed to change if Aurodon was going to be able to use the resources of the Isle at all. "I guess that's the consequences of being a future queen, always trying to think ahead and solve problems", Mal thought as she rolled her eyes. At this point she realized that Jay had won the race and crossed the metaphorical finish line at the mouth of the Isle. Laughing and out of breath she joined her fellow VK's under the entrance arch.

Panting, Mal argued, "Not fair Jay, you're all buff from tourney, plus Evie and I are wearing heels."

"Hey, I made second place in my heels and dress, don't complain because you don't know how to properly run in a dress." Mal laughed, exasperated as she realized that Evie was right. But she lost focus on that when she got a good look at the place they formerly called home. The lack of the storm clouds created by the barrier made the Isle look brighter, almost like a home.

"Wow!" Mal exclaimed, "Everything looks so…happy"

"I would have used the word vibrant, but happy works." Evie concluded.

"Hey guys, I hate to break up the reminiscing time, but I think it's only fair that we spread the news to the rest of the Isle. You never know who might have been asleep or hiding out."

"You're right Jay. I think we should split up to cover the most ground and save us time, because I think we all don't want to miss the celebrations. So, Evie take the east side stopping at the salon. Jay will pick up there and take the South and stop at our parents' old place. I'll take over and take the west end stopping at the entrance to my dad's place since its empty. And then Carlos, you cover the north end where your kids like to hide out. Then we can all meet here in 2 hours max. Got it?"

Evie, Jay and Carlos nodded in agreement then ran off in the direction they were to cover shouting at the top of their lungs. "THE BARRIER IS DOWN. EVERYONE PLEASE COME TO AURODON. THE BARRIER IS DOWN. EVERYONE PLEASE COME TO AURODON."

= 2 hours later =

As Mal approached the meeting point with high heels in hand and feet aching, she saw the moderate crowd that was gathered at the front of the arch. As she approached, she located her friends at the front of the crowd and began to move towards them.

"Hey, I think we got everyone. Most of mine and Jays group already went across after we told them to go to the palace so they could help them get situated. But almost all of Carlos' group were the kids from his home and they didn't want to leave without him. They're a little confused."

"Thanks Evie. And thanks for keeping everyone calm. It wouldn't have taken me this long but my feet were killing me and I had to stop a couple times."

Evie giggled at the future queens inability to handle long hours in proper royal attire. She began scheming different ways she could help Mal with this problem to prepare her for royal life, specifically Mal's wedding day. As Evie pondered this Mal moved to face the crowd and began to speak, "Thank you all for cooperating. To sum up what is happening, King Ben and I realized the faults that lied in past generations practice of using the Isle as a large prison that is completely cut off. So, the barrier is gone completely and will not be going back up. This does not mean that we are forcing everyone to leave the Isle forever, we understand that practically the Kingdom might need the space in the future. But we do want to get everything in order in Aurodon and make sure that everyone is well cared for. So, I know you might all be a little confused but if you will just follow me to Aurodon Ben and I will answer all your questions."

Throughout her speech the original VK's could see the amount of smiles and chatter growing, and by the time Mal was done everyone was ready to go. A dozen of the kids found in Carlos' home even raced down the bridge to Aurodon laughing along the way. Mal and Evie followed after them at a leisurely pace, followed by the rest of the group with Jay and Carlos bringing up the back of the remaining citizens of the Isle.

As the group approached the entrance to Aurodon they could see the large mass of people that had gathered by the entrance. Uma noticed Mal and ran to meet her halfway.

"Thank goodness you're back. Things have been a bit crazy. Ben is trying to get things organized but he didn't want to make final decisions without talking to you. So, for now we've been trying to get a form of census made for all the citizens of the Isle. I think we got everybody, minus these guys here. We were also able to get everybody to declare what they would like to do here. You know, where they want to live or if they want to go back and what kind of skill set they wish to contribute to society."

"Wow. Thanks for helping with all this Uma that will make things much easier. I'm gonna go find Ben and make a quick game plan and then we'll make a formal announcement in say, 30 minutes. Guys, can you help gather the last of the information and then make sure that everyone is gathered here to learn our next step?"

"Sure Mal, Carlos and I can gather everyone together while Uma and Evie get the last of the information. And then while we're waiting on you and Ben, we can all try and organize the citizens of the Isle based on where they would like to permanently reside." Jay explained.

Uma, Mal and Evie all starred at Jay like he had suddenly grown Mal's dragon wings and Uma's tentacles.

"What?!" Jay questioned; "You guys do realize that I'm tourney team captain and before that I was the fencing team captain. I know how to form plans and divide and conquer."

"I knew that."

"Thank you, Carlos. See, Carlos knows my talents."

"Sorry Jay, it was simply unexpected." Mal explained, "But it is a good plan. So, I'm going to go find Ben. Have fun you guys."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Plan **

**MAL'S PT. OF VIEW**

-Inside the castle-

I decided the most logical place to start my search for Ben would be in the study. If he was trying to figure out the best course of action he was most likely with his parents trying to at least get things organized. Reaching the study I opened the door and saw Ben behind his desk bent over papers that were strewn out on the surface of the desk. Belle was over in the corner preparing tea, most likely to calm Ben and Adam's nerves.

"Nerves?" I questioned.

Belle chuckled. "You have no idea."

"She's right your boyfriend has been all squirrely for 2 hours"

"Well dad, were you glaring at him and adding stress or were you trying to help?"

Hades just smirked in his hand, he and I both knew that the truthful answer was there had been looks that would make even Beast shake in his boots.

"Sorry I ran off so fast, we wanted to make sure that we got everyone off the Isle so everyone would know what was going on right from the source rather than passing the information around second hand."

"And what exactly is going on? Because this question has been asked a lot these past few hours and everybody is getting restless."

"Dad. Please don't try and blame Mal. She is here now, and we can figure out a plan." Ben yelled. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. But I'm pretty sure that you've been repeating that for the past hour and a half, and Mal just came from outside I'm sure she got a good idea of the condition of the citizens."

"Ben's right, I did. And you're also right, people are getting restless. But luckily Uma and I apparently share a mind now after our adventure because she did exactly what I was thinking of doing. She has collected census information from all the people that came over, and since we went and got everyone, we will have a complete census of the isle. Included in the census is preferences on where people would like to live, and the skill sets that they can offer to Aurodon. I think the best plan of action is to use the East Wing of the palace for the next week to offer temporary living arrangements to the citizens of the Isle until we can make arrangements for something more permanent."

When I finished speaking I noticed that Belle was looking at Adam with a smug gleam in her eye.

"What?" I asked.

No one spoke. I looked to Ben who was smiling at me and the papers like an idiot. Finally, my dad spoke up.

"The reason that the lovely Belle is wearing a smirk on her pretty face and why your boyfriend is smiling like a love-struck version of Dopey is because you just described the plan that Ben was suggesting this entire time while you were gone. And it was actually Ben who asked Uma to gather all the information for the census."

I smiled at this new knowledge. Leaning over and giving Ben a kiss on the cheek, although I wished that we were in private so I could give him a better kiss. And by the look in Bens eye, I could tell that he was thinking the same thing I was.

Ben cleared his throat, "Ok, so now that we have our general plan set. I think we should have the census information brought up and spend a few minutes glancing over all of it, and during that time we'll have the East Wing organized to hold our temporary guests. Dad can you go get us the census information?"

"Of course."

"Oh. Can you also tell Evie or Uma that we'll need like 20 more minutes just to be safe?" I asked.

"Yes of course, and she will know what I am talking about?"

"Yes." I answered

Belle turned to us and said, "I'm going to go help start overseeing the preparations of the East Wing."

"Thanks mom"

"I guess I should follow the former King so I can fill out my portion of the census. And provide muscle where needed in the organization process. Behave yourself kid, I'm always watching."

Bens body went rigid and face turned almost as white as Carlos' hair.

"We'll be fine dad. You better hurry."

It wasn't until the door shut behind Hades that I felt Ben release the breath he had been holding.

"Phew. I know he's a good guy, but wow does he freak me out."

I chuckled lightly at Bens statement hoping that would reassure him, but also hoping it would distract him. Because as much as I wish I could say that Hades was harmless, I wasn't sure that I could say it with even 60 percent certainty. At least, not when it came to me. I turned and gave Ben the kiss we were both clearly wanting to give each other earlier. As we separated I could sense him smiling as he played with the ends of my hair.

"I'm glad you're back. But I do have a question. Why are you bare foot? And where are your shoes?"

I laughed when I realized that I had been having a conversation about the Kingdom completely barefoot.

"My shoes are probably outside by the entrance to the bridge or knowing Evie she probably picked them up to protect them. I just had to take them off though, they were so painful to try and run in."

"You realize she is probably going to have you wearing even more uncomfortable shoes during the wedding, when you'll be on your feet for hours."

"Yes Ben, I realize that. I was just hoping I could ask Fairy Godmother to put a simple comfort spell on the shoes for that day."

Ben and I began laughing as we realized the ridiculousness of the conversation we were having.

"So now that I have answered your questions should we iron out the rest of the details while we wait on your dad?"

"Yeah. So future Queen of Aurodon, what do you think is our best course of action?"

"Well, we are definitely going to have to do something about the influx of citizens to the kingdom. However, with the increased population we do have more hands available to work on the construction projects that we need to tackle now. New homes need to be built, we should probably expand the schools, and the isle needs to be cleaned and renovated so that the citizens that want to live there can but it be clean and safe. I also think we should create a job field of people to journey through the isle to see if there are any valuable resources the kingdom could use. What about you?"

"I think you've got great ideas that will be helpful now but also really good for the future. As far as immediate plans go we should also consider some sort of rehabilitation program for the villains that came over that still want to side with evil. And then get help for those that need it. Remembering how Carlos first acted when he got here, I think a transitional outreach program could be beneficial."

"You're right, I can't believe I didn't think about that. It might also be safe to maybe have Fairy Godmother put a temporary lock on all magical powers except her own while everyone is transitioning."

"Are you sure, that means you wouldn't have your magic either."

I know Ben, but I think everyone who has already made progress will be able to see the benefits of this decision. Besides, right now it is just an idea. We should probably run it by people we trust. Speaking of that, I think it's also time that we update the council, I mean our population demographic just changed, and with the change in power we need people whose advice we trust. No offense to the past generations, they just don't have the experience we need anymore."

"You make a fair point. We are going to ruffle a lot of feathers aren't we?"

I chuckled as Bens nerves flared up. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." Ben shouted. "Are those the census papers?"

"Yes sir, and I am to convey a message to Miss. Mal. Miss. Evie says that you should leave glancing these over for later because they are organized based on location and she has even made signs."

Ben and I laughed at Evies efforts. "Alright thank you for delivering the message. I guess that is our cue that we should go explain the plan."

Ben smiled, offered me his arm and said, "My lady."

I scoffed at him, "You know I hate the formalities, but thank you." I took his arm and we walked out of the study making our way through the palace towards the courtyard where everyone was waiting. As they opened the double doors leading out to the terrace, I could see the groupings that Evie and the others had arranged. And Evie was being honest, in-front of each group stood a distinct sign saying where they hoped to permanently reside.

The largest group was for remaining here in the capitol of Aurodon, the next largest was for Sherwood Forest, followed by the furthest region Enchancia with a few dozen citizens. Oddly enough there were only less than 10 people who wanted to return to the isle, most of them being original villains like Hook, Gaston, Ursula, Morgana, Yzma, Mother Gothel, and Clayton.

Ben began, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for your patience and also personally welcome you to Aurodon. Now we realize that there is probably some confusion as to what the plan is and why all your potentially magical artifacts have been taken. Mal and I realized earlier that it was wrong to keep the barrier up any more. Many of you are in fact innocent of any crimes at this point and for those that weren't you've all been there for 20 years, so you can view this as a second chance and a fresh start. The barrier has obviously been taken down and it is going to stay down. Now I'm going to let your future queen explain a bit more about our plan for moving forward."

"Bens right, it was time the barrier came down. But like I'm sure you've recognized that does not mean that the isle is going to be inaccessible. For those of you that wish to live there you will be able to return, we just want to make living conditions over there a little more hospitable. So, for now we are going to open up the East Wing of the palace for the next week or so to provide temporary living while more permanent plans are made. We are going to need a lot of help working on the construction projects that we now have in the works to accommodate for everyone. There are houses and apartments to build, schools to expand and we are going to create a team that I will head up and lead to clean and renovate the isle. Eventually we will also have programs in place to help every citizen that needs it make a clean transition into Aurodon society. So, while the staff is finishing the preparations for everyone in the east wing please enjoy the food that is coming out. But please don't fight for any of it, there is plenty to go around so you don't have to fight for your place anymore."

As I finished speaking Mrs. Potts and her team came out with more food than I've seen in my life. And I swear I saw Jays eyes almost pop out of his head.

"Oh, that reminds me. I think we should talk to our friends that we would like to add to the council, I want to add Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Uma."

"I think those are great additions, I think we should also at least keep my mom and dad on the council so that we have people with expierence and can give us that past perspective. And I also want to add Doug, Audrey, and maybe Chad. I think we can get a good perspective from them."

"Ok, also last three Fairy Godmother, Jane and Lonnie."

"I think that will be perfect, a council of 12 with a King and Queen."

"Alright, we have our new council, why don't you go tell Fairy Godmother of the changes and tell your parents. I will go tell our friends and also tell them to keep it quiet until you get a chance to meet with the council again."

"We. Until we meet with the council."

I smiled at Ben as I pushed him in the direction of Fairy Godmother. "Go you goofball."


	3. Chapter 3

**The New Council Part 1 **

**MULTIPLE PTS. OF VIEW**

-Courtyard of the Palace-

(Bens pt. of view)

I can't believe this is working. Everyone is mingling together, even Queen Leah is having civilized conversations with the citizens of the isle. Mal is going to be such a great queen. But right now I need to focus and find my parents, the faster we discuss the council changes the better. After catching my dads eye, he and my mom excused themselves from the conversation they had previously been having.

My dad being a worrier from habit, immediately thought something was wrong. "What's wrong son?"

"Nothing. Mal and I simply made some decisions that will most likely ruffle more feathers and we wanted to notify the people it would effect first."

"Ben, sweetie, the way you just stated all of that makes it seem like something bad is going to happen."

"It's nothing like that mom, Mal and I were thinking that it would be a good idea to change who sits on the council now that I'm King and the population demographics have changed. We want to make sure that all citizens of Aurodon have at least one person on the council they can identify with to help represent them."

"Ok, changing a few seats might not be a bad idea. Just don't go overboard."

"Well that's the thing dad, we are only going to keep you, mom, and Fairy Godmother from the original council members. The others will be Evie, Jay, Carlos, Jane, Lonnie, Uma, Doug, Audrey, and Chad. And before you question our motives; Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Uma will be able to provide perspective from the isle that no one else can. And Jane, Lonnie, Doug, Audrey, and Chad are all good with people and each have their own unique ability that can help Mal and I make decisions that effect the kingdom."

My parents were both silent for a moment as they thought about everything, I just told them. Finally, my dad spoke up. "It sounds like you and Mal thought about this, I think that your choices could be very helpful towards the future of Aurodon. But you're right, this decision will ruffle a lot of feathers. I think we should all gather together in the study so we can discuss positions everyone will take over and how you guys should handle your next steps so no one speaks before they should."

"Okay, that sounds great. I will go find Mal and meet you guys in the study, can you get Fairy Godmother to join you?"

"Of course Ben, your father and I will find her and meet you in the study."

I turned away from my parents and went to find Mal and our friends in the crowd. How difficult could it be, no one had hair like Mal's.

(Mal's pt. of view)

I waited a few minutes and watched Ben walk towards his parents. His goofy smile was plastered on his face, I wonder what he's thinking about? Wait. I need to find Evie and the others and talk to them about serving on the council. And lucky me, they are all in the same relative area; by the chocolate fountain trying to control Carlos' kids from stuffing their faces in it. On my way towards the group I smiled and waved at the kids, and said hi to a few groups of people. As I got closer I realized I was going to have to separate Audrey and Chad away from Queen Leah. Well, this could either go well or end horribly, might as well rip it off like a band-aid. "Queen Leah, would you mind if I borrowed your grand-daughter and Chad from you for a few minutes? I just need to have a quick discussion with them."

They all looked at me a little apprehensively, but eventually Queen Leah nodded and said; "That's fine sweetheart. I will just stay right here until you are done with them."

"Thank you. Can you guys follow me."

"Mal, I don't know what it is you think we did, but I can tell you that I didn't do anything wrong."

I laughed at Chad's nerves and then turned slightly to say, "Neither of you did anything wrong Chad. I just wanted to have a discussion with you guys and the rest of the gang privately."

At that point we reached the rest of the group along with Harry and Gil. "Hey Harry, Gil could I steal everybody from you for a few minutes?"

"What's wrong Mal?"

"Nothing is wrong E, I just need to talk to you guys specifically about a private matter."

"Fiiinee. Come on Gil lets go raid the pizza bar."

"ooh! Wait, what's a pizza?"

We all laughed as Harry shrugged then threw his arm around Gill's shoulder as they walked away.

"So, what is this ultra-secret, private matter?" Uma asked.

"Well to sum it up, Ben and I are going to restructure the members of the royal council and we want you guys to join us."

Audrey, Chad, Jane and Lonnie all gasped. Doug looked really confused, which was a first for him. Evie, Carlos, Jay and Uma all stared not really sure how to react to the news.

"Could someone please explain to me what that means and why Miss. Pink Princess is all excited about it?"

"Uma, what Mal is say is that she and Ben want all of us to help make decisions that will effect all of Aurodon. Being on the council is like one of the greatest honors." Lonnie explained.

"Why are you guys not reacting any differently?" Chad questioned of Evie, Jay and Carlos.

"Well I can't speak for Carlos and Jay, but I'm not surprised. We are practically Mal's siblings, and we can offer a good insight for how to help the kingdom with the citizens of the isle."

"Evie's right. Choosing them makes sense, so why do you need me Mal?"

"Well we need you Uma because as we've learned I think you and I can work really well together, and there is no such thing as too much help. But this position is your choice, you do not have to take the seat on the council."

"I'll think about it."

"Great. Hey Ben."

"Hey, did you tell them all yet?"

"Yes, I just did. Did you need me for something?"

"Actually, I need all of you. We are going to meet my parents and Fairy Godmother in the study to further discuss this. So, we need to head inside."

"Mal, Ben wait! Are you sure that you want me to serve on the council? I mean all I've done is cause issues."

I sighed at Audrey's lack of confidence. But Ben beat me to reassuring her before I could speak.

"Of course we want your input as a member of the council. Just because you messed up one time does not mean that you are invalid. We both think that everyone here has something unique to offer to us and the kingdom."

Audrey smiled and thanked us and I smiled at Ben, loving the way that he was able to so easily reassure her of her value.

"Now if you will all follow me; my parents are waiting inside."

So, Ben lead us inside to the study and, being the gentleman he was, opened the door for everyone. We all thanked him as we passed through the threshold. Belle and Fairy godmother sat in the chairs infront of Ben's desk, with Adam standing behind Belle. As the others went and stood around the desk and behind Fairy Godmother I went to stand next to Ben, however he surprised me and pulled out his chair for me to sit in. And of course, he added a little bow to flourish the gesture. I smiled and I could see my friends smirking.

"Ok, lets get this discussion started."


	4. Chapter 4

**The New Council Part 2 **

**THIRD PERSON PT. OF VIEW**

_Previously:_

"_Now if you will all follow me; my parents are waiting inside." _

_So, Ben lead us inside to the study and, being the gentleman he was, opened the door for everyone. We all thanked him as we passed through the threshold. Belle and Fairy godmother sat in the chairs infront of Ben's desk, with Adam standing behind Belle. As the others went and stood around the desk and behind Fairy Godmother I went to stand next to Ben, however he surprised me and pulled out his chair for me to sit in. And of course, he added a little bow to flourish the gesture. I smiled and I could see my friends smirking._

"_Ok, lets get this discussion started."_

-Ben's Study-

"Mal's right, we need to get a general idea of what we are going to do quickly so Mal and I can return to overseeing the new citizens. First and foremost, as of right now we need everyone to keep this information under wraps until we can tell the current council and then make the formal announcement." Ben explained.

Mal continued the meeting by saying, "We realize that this decision is going to step on a lot of toes in the kingdom. But we trust you guys and believe that each of you has something unique to offer that will hep the kingdom. But that doesn't mean that we can force you to accept the appointment, it is completely your choice."

"So Ben, Mal what positions were you two thinking of everyone holding on the council?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"Well, I would like to have you and my father continue to be my formal advisors, you've yet to lead me astray. And I think Mal and I can both agree that Uma would make an excellent head representative for the isle."

At this point Mal lightly touched Ben's elbow as a way to show that she wanted to provide some input.

"And I would like to have my own advisors, seeing how I'm kinda new to the royalty concept. So, Belle and Evie, will you accept the spot on council and serve as my advisors?"

Evie's eyes began to tear up slightly. "Of course Mal, I would be so honored."

With tears also pricking her eyes Belle replied, "I would be honored as well."

"Alright. With that settled I think Jay and Lonnie should work together to be in charge of military as well as law enforcement."

"A position where I get to be in charge of the kick-butt stuff. I'm totally in."

"Um, hello. Not fully in charge Jay, we share the responsibility."

Everyone laughed at the argument occurring between Jay and Lonnie. Ben came to his senses first though.

"I was thinking Jane and Carlos would work well on the beautification committee. And then Doug, Audrey, and Chad would act as representatives for the three districts of the kingdom. And you guys can determine which zone you would prefer."

"Ha! Did you hear that Carlos, you get the beautification committee." Jay laughed.

"Actually Jay, the beautification committee is in charge of all renovation and construction projects in the kingdom. It relies on a lot of engineering and organization skills."

"Thank you Jane. See Jay, I get a cool area too. And I gladly accept."

"Me too, I was actually thinking of requesting to join the committee when I finished school. I can't believe I get to help be in charge of it."

"If Audrey and Chad are alright with this I would like to represent the capitol district on the council. I was raised here, my entire family is here and since Evie is going to be Mal's advisor I have a feeling I will be staying in this area."

Evie and Doug both blushed and smiled at Dougs statement. Shortly after Audrey piped up and said: "I have no objections to that. I can take the district of Enchancia, I visit there a lot, and it's close to my family's homes."

"Well I guess that leaves me with Sherwood Forest."

Ben asked, "Is that alright Chad?"

"pff. Of course, I'm just stocked I get to be on the council."

"Great. I'm glad that all of you are willing to accept our offers. Now the next council meeting is in two weeks. So once Mal and I conclude that meeting we will contact all of you and let you know when your first council meeting will be and provide you with any materials you need to succeed in your position. Just remember you can't tell anyone about this yet. We are going to try and ruffle as few feathers as possible."

"Now that we covered everything, we should all get back to the courtyard and help everyone get inside."

"Actually Mal, I think at this time everyone has already been ushered into the east wing if everything went as planned with the layout of the evening."

"Oh, well then I guess that we can all go get some rest ourselves then."

Everyone began to leave the room but Belle glanced at Evie and Jane who then cornered Ben and Mal.

"You two can't leave just yet. We need to discuss some wedding plans." Evie explained.

"E, we are all tired. Is there anyway we can have this discussion tomorrow?"

"Oh sweetie you misunderstand. That's all we were wanting to do. Find a time to meet and speak further on arranging details."

"Alright mom, since tomorrow is Saturday why don't we all meet here in the study tomorrow at 10 and we can have a brunch and then discuss plans."

"Great, now that that's settled Mal lets head back to the room."

"Alright E I will catch up." Mal turned to Ben and kissed him on the cheek to say goodnight as Evie and Jane walked out of the study.

"Goodnight Mal, I will see you tomorrow. And don't worry, I'll make sure there are plenty of strawberries here for you at brunch."


	5. Update

**Thank you everyone who reads this story. I just thought I would take a minute to address how I plan to update the story from now on. Since classes will be starting soon I probably won't have a regular writing schedule so I have decided that I will add 1 or 2 chapter every Friday by midnight, until I am able to better commit to the story. Also just a quick thing, with this story I probably won't incorporate ideas readers submit. But, please feel free to submit ideas to make the story better, it might inspire a completely different story. Thank you again for reading, please don't hate me if it turns terrible this is my first story I've ever written.**

**Sincerely**

**-IwriteWhenIwant**


	6. Chapter 5

**Wedding Planning **

**MAL'S PT. OF VIEW**

-Mal & Evie's Room-

No matter how long I live in this room I don't think I will ever get used to waking up to such bright sunshine and seeing so much pastel pink. What I wouldn't give for a few cans of spray paint right now. Of course, Evie was already awake and packing. I couldn't believe that we were 2 weeks away from graduation, and I hadn't gotten a chance to pack anything myself. But who could blame me, with how many other responsibilities I've had these past few months have been crazy, who has time to pack? My stretching caused my shoulders to pop along with a few places on my spine. I felt wonderfully painful, and the noise of it drew Evie's attention from her task.

"You are clearly under too much stress. And eventually all that joint popping is going to have some bad consequences."

"Well if you can figure out a way to make all of my responsibilities disappear and just allow me to live a nice quiet life, that would be great."

Evie laughed and responded, "Well this is what you get for falling in love with the King. And just wait, once your Queen there will be more responsibilities but luckily you will have me to help you with them."

I smiled, "That day can't come soon enough. I could use the official help."

"Speaking of help, you need to get up and get ready. We need to leave in an hour if we are going to get to the meeting on time."

"Don't take this the wrong way E. But honestly, planning this wedding is just about the last thing I want to do. I would be perfectly happy with a private wedding after graduation. Not right after, but you know a little bit after."

"Sadly for you, but luckily for me royal weddings are the exact opposite of that. So, it will work better for you if you just accept it. But think about this, Ben loves you so much that he'll probably let you have whatever you want. And all you have to do is make decisions and then Jane, Belle, and I will handle the actual plans so that way it is off your plate. So, if you are cooperative today your part could be 90% done by the end of the day."

"See, this is why you are my best friend. I guess I should get up and get ready, how long will this day take?"

"Probably all day, there are a lot of details to cover."

"Well if that's the case then I am wearing comfortable clothes rather than something fancy."

"That's fine. Just make sure you still look presentable." She yelled at me as I walked into the bathroom to get in the shower.

I had to make it quick so I washed my hair with my strawberry shampoo and then used my strawberry body wash. As I finished my shower I stepped out and saw that Evie 'helped' me by laying out an outfit that was both comfortable and presentable by her standards. Black skinny jeans, purple short-sleeve peplum top with short purple wedges. I wish I could change out the shoes for the outfit, but I knew that arguing with Evie would be a battle I would lose. I dried my hair with Evie's blow dryer then put on just enough make-up to not look like a dead woman walking.

When I walked out of the bathroom I struck a pose and asked Evie, "Is this acceptable?"

"Yes, but you should at least put on a necklace. You know you're going to get bored and want something to fidget with after a few hours." So I went over to my jewelry box and pulled out Ben's signet ring a pair of black pearl earrings, and the matching long necklace. I turned around and found Evie standing right behind me with my backpack purse held out in front of her.

"I put your phone, room key, and a notebook and pen in here. Now we need to go."

With that Evie pushed me out the door and we made our way to the palace.

=20 minutes later=

\- Ben's Study –

I knocked on the door to Ben's study since Evie's arms were full of large colorful binders that I could only assume held potential plans for the wedding. Ben opened the door and kissed me on the cheek.

"Good morning beautiful." He greeted. "Wow. Evie's got binders too, I was hoping Janes pile was the only one."

"Wait, there are more binders?" I asked as I glared at Evie and walked into the study. Evie just scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Jane and I have already sorted every option you will have to make decisions on into categories, there are simply a lot of options for each category so it looks more intimidating than it actually is. But yes, there is a lot to cover. So, the sooner we get started the better it will be for everyone." Evie explained.

"Well I can promise you that there will not be one decision made until I get some food."

"Did someone say food?"

I turned and saw Belle walking into the study behind Mrs. Potts who was pushing a cart filled with brunch food. There were stacks of pancakes and waffles, bacon, eggs, so many pastries, fruit (which included mostly strawberries), along with empty glasses that stood next to pitchers of milk, orange juice and what I assumed was sparkling grape juice.

"Mrs. Potts, when was the last time I told you that you're my favorite and I love you?"

"If my memory is correct Miss. Mal, I believe you told me this when I made you that special treat late last week when you couldn't sleep." She answered.

"Well then I need to be saying it more, because that is not often enough. Thank you so much, this all looks amazing." I complimented

"It was my pleasure Miss. Mal, I hope you enjoy it while you plan. If you need anything else just call."

"We will keep that in mind, because it seems like it is going to be a long day."

Mrs. Potts laughed and then excused herself as she left the room. When I went to grab a plate I encountered Ben who was holding a single perfect strawberry out for me. Chuckling, I grabbed it and ate the juicy fruit.

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

"You're welcome." He replied. Ben turned to everyone else and said, "Well, lets get some food and get started."

I didn't even wait for him to finish that statement when I grabbed a plate from the cart and served myself a waffle with 3 strawberries and powdered sugar on top, 4 strips of bacon, and my personal bowl of strawberries I found set off to the side. I then grabbed a utensil grouping and poured myself some sparkling juice and took a seat next to Bens chair, which was decorated with a sash that said bride and a sticker of a tiara. Since it wasn't there when Evie and I got here I can only assume she added these decorations while I was distracted by the food. I rolled my eyes and chuckled but then began to eat my food.

Ben came over with his plate of food, the amount almost rivaling my own, sat down and smirked. He kept glancing over at me like he knew some big secret, but since I had food in my mouth I couldn't ask him what was wrong. I narrowed my eyes a little bit and moved my head as a way to ask, 'What?' He knew exactly what I was trying to say so he leaned over and wiped away the powdered sugar I had dusted across my lip and slightly on my cheek.

"You had a little waffle right there."

I smiled, "Just like our first date. I guess you really can't take me anywhere."

Ben gave me a quick chaste kiss before moving back to his seat to continue eating.

"As adorable as that interaction was, Mal you really do need to work on your eating habits. You can't do that at every public function." Evie said.

"Evie you and I both know that I'm not always like this. I am just really hungry and we're in private so I'm not going to put up pretenses of how I eat. Besides, Ben's the same way." I replied.

"She's right, outside public functions it's almost like Ben forgets all the manners his father and I worked hard to teach him. But I've stopped trying to fix it, especially when I realized that he just gets it from his father in the first place."

We all turned and looked at Ben, who was actually hunched over is plate about to take the largest bite of eggs and bacon I've ever seen. Noticing our glances Ben froze his movements, glanced at his fork and then took the bite of eggs. It was only after he finished shallowing the monster bite that he spoke.

"I don't see the problem."

Belle and I both just laughed and rolled our eye, but Evie and Jane looked slightly disgusted.

"Okay… How about we start discussing basic plans?"

"I think that is a great idea Jane. Ok guys this is how we worked out the organization, we will go through each part of the binder and you guys just have to decide what option you want to go with. Belle will take notes for future reference, Jane will be removing the options you choose and combining them into one binder and working on creating a visual mock up on a program Carlos and I helped design, and then I will be taking the information you guys choose to help inspire the wedding dress and will be designing and sketching during the process. In the notebook I gave you Mal on the first page is a list of all the tasks we need to make decisions on and the order we need to make them in. The rest of the book is blank for you to draw in as long as you stay focused. Ben, sorry I don't have something for you to be honest I did not envision you causing issues as we get into the later hours."

Everyone smirked at Evies comment, I could see Ben trying to refrain but I knew he couldn't resist. And, who could really blame him, it was completely true.

"Lets keep the jabs at a minimum if you want to keep this dragon happy. So let's just get started on the first decision, date for the wedding." I said looking to Ben.

"Mal I am happy with whenever." Ben said but was then cut off by Evie.

"Ben, I'm going to need you to be participative. Because, I am able to assist my best friend with these things I know that she doesn't want this to be all about her, so you will need to help and make some decisions as well."

"Well since legalities won't be an issue with the dual coronation since you're already old enough to be Queen, we can choose whatever we want. What do you think about sometime in the winter?"

"I think that could be really pretty, but I don't want a Christmas wedding. In my mind I would look really tacking trying to work with a Christmas wedding."

"Well luckily for us Mal snow in Aurodon continues through February." Jane said

"Ok great. What about early February? Like the 6th."

"I think that sounds perfect." Ben said

"It actually is perfect, because it's a little over a month after the New Years ball is over so it gives us plenty of time to make sure the preparations are complete." Evie said.

I smirked and replied, "Well I'm glad it works with the party calendar. So, can we check that task as complete?"

"Yes. Wedding on the 6th of February and the coronation the next day. That gives us 9 months to have everything in order. And with Evie and Belles assistance it should not be a problem at all." Jane said as Belle wrote down notes and Evie began researching on her tablet.

"According to weather reports the day of the wedding will just be dusting snow. However, the days leading up to that will probably cause there to be approximately 3-4 inches of snow, but hopefully no ice to fall on." Evie said.

"I will put that in the notes so we can plan contingency plans and organize the details around the beauty the snow can bring." Belle stated.

"Wow. That was actually next on the list." Ben said

"Well Evie did write it. And it was most-likely written according to the categories in these binders."

"So Mal, tell us what is next."

"Colors, and there are a lot of different sub-categories."

"Jane, we need the swatches."

Jane dropped 3 gargantuan collections of color swatches in-front of Ben and I. We shared a look that said we both wanted to run away.

"Look I already know I want to work with purples, blues, and a few infusions of gold." I told them.

"Perfect, so go to those sections in each collection and find the shades you want." Evie instructed

=11 hours later=

Finally, we finally made a decision on the last task on the list that seemed to go on forever. I forced them all to take a break at 3 so we could eat because I was getting cranky, and that was the last time I ate. I was starving and very cranky again, but I refused to eat because we had been so close to being done.

"Alright, Belle before we wrap up can read back the notes and review the decsions that were made?" Evie asked

"NO!" I yelled. I took a breath and said it again, "No, I need food. I am starving and if I have to hear about one more decision on an empty stomach I will explode."

Someone knocked on the door. Ben practically jumped up and ran to open the door. In walked Mrs. Potts with another cart of food. Bless this woman.

"I received notification that you were ready for the food to be brought up. I surprised you didn't call earlier, aren't you dears hungry?"

"More than you know Mrs. Potts." I said with tears in my eyes. I could smell her famous lasagna from here. "I was so hungry, but I thought we were almost done so I just wanted to finish so I could leave, andandand…" I kept rambling until I realized that I was actually crying.

Mrs. Potts came up and hugged me, just calmed me and said that she understood. I cried on her shoulder for a few more minutes before the smells overcame me again. I stood up, sniffled a few last times, and wiped my tears away. "Thank you so much." I told her.

"It's my pleasure dear. Don't fill up on this I've got dessert downstairs." She told us as she left.

I wiped the last of my tears and then turned towards the food to retrieve some, but instead I found Ben sitting in his chair with a plate in front of him and another with even more lasagna sitting next to him.

I sat down in my chair leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. Thank you for secretly texting her. And thank you for getting me some food and space." I told him.

He smiled at me and said, "You're welcome."

"And I'm sorry for yelling at you all. I get irritable when I'm hungry, plus organizing all this at one time was stressful. So, do you think we could just eat and not talk about the wedding?"

"Of course Mal. We did not mean to overwhelm you, so we are so sorry that we did. Of course, we can have a nice dinner." Belle said.

And so, everyone ate their food silently, and when Mrs. Potts came back with the tiramisu she made for dessert she simply left it on the table and left after we all thanked her for the delicious meal.

10 minutes and 2 pieces of lasagna and a piece of tiramisu later Evie asked, "Mal would it be alright if we reviewed our decisions now?"

"Yes E, that would be fine."

"Belle?"

"Alright I will try and make this quick. You decided on a winter wedding for this coming February 6th with a color scheme of lavender, pale purple, powder blue, and aspects of silver instead of gold to incorporate the winter theme better. The coronation will be the following day and will resume all the decorations available. The ceremony will be held in the chapel where Ben was coronated, and where you will be as well. Hades will give Mal away and will wear a suit similar to the groomsmen's suits. All flower arrangements will be purple peonies with small powder blue roses and baby's breath intermixed. Fairy Godmother will perform the ceremony, you will write vows to share early on (no singing Ben) but will also use the traditional vows as well. Bridesmaids: Uma, Dittzy, Audrey, Lonnie, and Jane. Maid of Honor: Evie. Best-man: Doug. Groomsmen: Jay, Carlos, Chad, Gill, and Harry. Evie has the designs for bridesmaid dresses and working on the dress. Groomsmen in grey suits with blue detail work that matches blue of Ben's royal suit, which will have gold things changed to silver to match décor for wedding day. Kitchen staff will be making buffet options rather than served meals. Simple chocolate wedding cake with edible watercolor painted on the frosting. Ben is in charge of honeymoon."

"That is everything. And it all sounded right. Any changes Ben?" I asked

"No, I think that is everything. Just remember that I am in charge of the honeymoon and you can't ruin the surprise."

"Ok. Well if that is it then I am going to bed. I'm exhausted."

"We'll walk back with you Mal." Evie said. Then she and Jane stood up and began to gather all the supplies from organizing. The sheer amount of stuff they had to gather allowed me to have a moment alone with Ben.

"So there is no way of convincing you to change your mind and tell me what your thinking?"

"Nope, you get to keep the dress a secret so I get to keep the location a secret." Ben said through a laugh.

"Mal, we're ready to go." Evie said.

"Alright, I am right behind you." I told her. "I'll see you at school on Monday. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Mal."


	7. Chapter 6

**A Grooms Advice **

**BEN'S PT. OF VIEW**

_**Author's Note:**_

_**A small plotline of this chapter was inspired by a two-shot Descendants fanfiction that I remember reading several months ago. I have been unable to find it again, if by chance the author of that story is reading this I want you to know that I loved your story even though it didn't come with a happy ending for everyone. The plotline idea I borrowed is the concept of the signet ring being an exact perfect fit for only your soul mate.**_

_**Also, it goes without saying that I do not own Descendants or it's characters.**_

-Ben's room the next morning-

The first thing I experience every day is my alarm going off. Sadly, I have never experienced dreams in my sleep (I wish the same thing could be said about nightmares). But, my alarm ringing in my ears told me that it was precisely 5:30 in the morning and therefore time to wake up for my morning run. I like to run in the mornings to get my blood flowing and wake myself up. Although I wished I could run outside, I knew that according to royal protocol I couldn't do that unless I had someone running with me and I did not want to burden a member of the staff when they had better things to be doing. So instead I threw on my gym clothes and made my way to the gym down in the basement.

As I ran on the treadmill and listened to my music I thought about all the tasks that I needed to complete today in order to catch up with the work that I missed for wedding prep yesterday. What a whirlwind of a day that was. And although no one will ever know this, I was starting to get just as overwhelmed and frustrated as Mal. At several points when Jane was discussing the pros and cons of short vs. tall centerpieces, I wanted to scream and run away with Mal. But I contained it like a good king, which I should be now so I need to make a game plan for today. I'll start with authorizing all the permits for magic to provide a temporary living area for the new citizens, and then authorize the permits for the actual construction projects and send both out before lunch. Then when I take a break with lunch I'll research honeymoon ideas. And afterwards I'll review construction plans and hopefully be able to approve them today. Finally, I'll set up and send out the agendas for the council meeting and then finish my homework that's due tomorrow.

"This should be a fun day." I murmured miserably

=2 hours later=

After a quick shower I headed back to the steady to eat a quick breakfast and begin my tasks. Mrs. Potts had sent up a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, and several biscuits. I knew this food would make me feel like I undid all the work I put into my run, but I was going to need this energy to survive the day. As I dug into my breakfast I began to review the permits for magic to make sure all the details were correct and that none were forgeries. If the permit passed the test I signed it and laid it on a stack for Chip to pick up when I sent for him. Luckily there was only one permit that had been forged, oddly enough I recognized the magic as Mal's. I decided to lay her forgery off to the side and discuss it with her and Fairy Godmother later.

"I really hope this doesn't mean anything." I said to myself.

"Well I'm glad that I'm not the only person that talks to their assignments."

Upon hearing the voice, I quickly shoved the false document out of sight and faced the direction of the voice and found Doug standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you heard me knock." He explained.

"You're fine Doug. You know how I get when I'm focused, sometimes even Jay and Carlos can surprise me at that point."

Doug chuckled and said, "Yeah when you get to work it's like you're in your own little world. So, I won't take up too much of your time because it looks like you have a lot to do. I just need some advice."

"Of course, how can I help?" I asked.

"It's about Evie. I don't know if anyone told you about this but when Audrey put everyone under the sleeping curse I got hit."

"But you were awake at Evie's house when I got there. Ohhh, Evie kissed you awake?"

"Yeah. And because of that event my plans to propose to her are kinda ruined."

"Propose? Where you planning on proposing to her soon?"

"Well not like tomorrow or something as obvious as graduation, she would kind of expect that plus she'll be crazy busy with organizing graduation and all the royal events at that time."

"Ok, I'm a bit lost Doug. How exactly does Evie knowing that you share true love ruin your future proposal? I can only really see the positive on how now there is no doubt that you guys are meant to be. I mean that's what my signet ring did for me and Mal."

"Well I mean it really just kinda ruins the element of surprise. Now that she knows that we are basically soul mates she is always going to be suspicious of any fancy and romantic date and immediately be on alert for a proposal, but I really want to surprise her with it. So, the advice I am wanting from you is how can I propose to her and still surprise her? But before you tell me that I want to know what you are talking about with Mal and your signet ring."

I smiled thinking about the story my dad told me when I was gifted with my signet ring. But I knew it would be a long story and I didn't have time to tell it and give advice. "I'll tell you what Doug, you come back at noon for lunch and I will explain what I am talking about and then we'll discuss how to surprise Evie."

"I can do lunch. I should let you get back to work." Doug said as he left the room.

As he closed the door I pulled the pile of construction permits towards me and began reviewing the one at the top of the list.

=3 hours later=

With a flourish to finish off my signature on the last construction permit I finally completed my tasks from yesterday. I pushed a button on the side of my desk that would summon Chip inside his office next door.

"Yes King Ben. How can I help you?" Chip asked.

"I finally finished the permits for magic and construction so I need you to get them all to their correct departments as soon as possible. Preferably getting started on it right away."

"Of course. Would it be alright if I finished my lunch?"

"Absolutely, they just all need to be filed by the end of the day."

"I will ensure that happens sir."

"Thank you Chip. Now if you'll excuse me I need to do some research before my meeting."

"Of course sir. I will be out of your way."

Chip made his way to the door, moving out of the way of the server bringing in my lunch.

"Thank you. And tell Mrs. Potts that this looks amazing as always."

The server nodded his head and left the room. I opened my laptops search engine and took a bite of my monstrous BLT with avocado and mango salsa. I knew I wanted to take Mal somewhere along the ocean, she finally learned how to swim and loves the water now. With how much time she spends in it I wouldn't be surprised if she evolved into a water dragon. I chuckled at the thought.

"Sorry. Am I bothering you again Ben?"

"Doug! You keep sneaking up on me. But no you're not bothering me, I was just thinking of something kinda funny. But please, sit. I ordered Mrs. Potts special BLT sandwiches for us."

"Oh my goodness I haven't had one of these in years."

Doug took a bite out of his sandwich and moaned. "Hasn't changed. Still the best sandwich in the world."

We took a few minutes and ate in silence, but since the food was so good we finished quickly. After taking a sip of his water Doug asked,

"So the curiosity is killing me. You have got to tell me this story."

"Alright. When I was a kid I asked my father if I could get a "cool ring like his". He looked at me and explained that it wasn't any ring, but rather the family signet ring that was blessed with a special magic. When the father feels his son is ready he has one cast and then spelled to fit only two people in the entire world. It first is set to fit and grow with the son as needed, but then a second spell is put on the ring that can identify and recognize the original wearers soul mate. It will always make the adjustments needed to fit only those two souls and it can't be tricked by any form of magic."

"Really? Do you remember what spell Fairy Godmother used. I would love to study that spell to see what kind of background it has."

I chuckled because it was easy to forget that Doug was a magic nut. He loved to study spells. "I don't remember what spell was used. I was 10 when my dad gave me the ring. I didn't think to pay attention to the spell. Anyway, as you know Mal spelled me when she got here and was under her mothers influence. But since it washed off after our first date and I still had those feelings I started to grow suspicious of how the ring might fit her. So, I asked her to wear the ring on the ride to the coronation, she didn't know about the story and still doesn't; I'm afraid it might freak her out a bit. When I slid the ring on her finger it was an absolutely perfect fit. Because of that when everything got crazy after that I had complete faith in Mal because I knew I was looking at my future Queen."

"Wow. Maybe you're right and I don't need to freak out about what true loves kiss means for Evie and I. But, I do need to worry about making the proposal absolutely perfect. Because she deserves nothing less than perfect."

I smiled at Doug and said, "Then we have our work cut out for us. First things first you have to answer every question with an immediate answer. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Chocolate or vanilla?"

"Vanilla? But…"

"Blue or green?" I continued.

"Blue. What?..."

"Outside or inside?"

"Inside."

"Loud or quiet?"

"Quiet"

"Hot or cold?"

"Middle."

"Public or private?"

"Private"

"Gold or silver?"

"Silver. Seriously Ben what is with all the questions?"

"Well you will be happy to know that you just refined to what kind of proposal you would like to give Evie."

"I did? When?"

"Just now, that is what all the questions were for. The first few were to throw you off and get you to think about something else for a moment. After that it seems like you would like to propose indoors in a private or maybe intimate setting. You don't really want anything big or crazy like the welcome parades or like my first declaration of love to Mal."

"Yeah, I definitely don't have the courage to do that. To be honest that whole musical number was quite ridiculous."

We both laughed at the terrible pun that Doug had made, however well themed it was.

"And finally, I believe that you want to propose to Evie with a ring that has a silver band."

"Wow. That's a great way to make decisions. But that doesn't solve the issue of how to surprise her with the proposal."

"No, it doesn't." I sat and thought about how to solve it. "I got it. Or at least I have an idea."

"Please share, an idea is better than nothing."

"We throw her off the scent by making a double date with Mal and I and say that it's a great way to finalize the last of the wedding plans as well as introduce you guys to the kind of things that you'll have to handle now that you're on the council. We can say that Mal and I didn't want to be cooped up in the office but would rather make it a nice affair, so we can go to the enchanted lake. I'll come up with an excuse to get Mal away and then you'll get a moment alone with Evie where you can propose. And if you want us to Mal and I can be just far away enough to where you can't see us taking pictures of the entire thing."

Doug sat there staring at me, as the seconds ticked by I was afraid that I offended him and pitched the worst proposal idea ever.

"Ben. That. Is. The. Best. Idea. EVER. She won't see it coming and she will still have a way to look back on it and remember everything as time goes on. We have to do that. Of course, I'll need some time to get the ring of course. What if we do this towards the end of summer? Do you think that would work?"

"Doug. This is your proposal. We can do whatever you want, I just need at least 2 weeks notice so I can orient my schedule and Mal's and it won't seem suspicious."

"I can do that. Thank you so much. I need to start planning some more, and you need to work. I am going to go. See you later."

Doug was so excited as he left that he almost ran into the door frame from not paying attention to his surroundings. I sighed as I realized that I needed to get back to work, schedules needed to be made still and I still had homework in 3 classes that wasn't complete but due tomorrow.

"It's going to be a long day."


	8. New Update

***SAD NEWS***

**To everyone who has been enjoying my story,**

**I'm sorry but I won't be able to meet the deadlines that I set for myself concerning this story. Even though I have a general layout for what I want to happen anytime I go to write my mind begins to play out the story as I write and my brain ends up moving faster than my hands. (If that sounds confusing it means that while working on parts for Chapter 7, my brain could be planning Chapter 9). This then causes me to have to slow down significantly and re-read, however with everything school has decided to throw at me I don't have alot of time to dedicate to the story. **

**I want to make this a really good story and do the original plot creators work justice, so hopefully I'll be able to write during school vacation breaks.**

**Sorry I am having to break my promise, but like my handle says "I write when I want"**

**Sincerely,**

**IwriteWhenIwant**


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